By Charles W. Plemons (nosferatu@premiernet.net)
This may be freely distributed by anyone in any format as long as credit is given to the author but cannot be distributed for profit for any reason.
Recently, a Djinni almost succeeded. It had been imprisoned inside a specially crafted gem, which was discovered and sold to a pawn shop. The owner took the jewel to a woman for an appraisal, and she accidentally released the Djinni. It tricked her into asking for two of the required three wishes. However, aware of the evil nature of the Djinn, her third wish was that the chain of events leading to the gem's discovery had never occurred. Thus, the Djinni was outsmarted and imprisoned once again.
Djinn cannot enter our world unaided. It takes a powerful wizard to summon one, unless it has been imprisoned. Thus, the legend of the genie in the lamp. Once in this world, all Djinn set about spreading chaos in order to get their summoner or releasor to ask for three wishes. After the third wish, the barriers between this world and theirs will collapse and the Djinn shall rule the world.
The Djinn are more resilient than most inhabitants of this world, and they possess powers that few can match. However, they also have tremendous limitations which to date have kept the Djinn from realizing their ultimate goal.
Grant Wish: The most terrifying and powerful of the powers of the Djinn, the ability of wish granting, strikes fear in the hearts of their enemies. When granting a wish, a Djinn is capable of using True Magick in all spheres at rank 5 with no danger of Paradox! They cannot use this power on their own, however; it must always be used to grant another's wish. Unfortunately, Djinn have unique ways of granting wishes. They like to twist and pervert them to cause the maximum harm. Also, when a Djinni grants a wish for someone, they take that person's soul, but the person lives on until the Djinni decides to collect. What they do with these souls is unknown. A Djinni can grant a "free" wish if it so desires. Also, the person who summons a Djinni has three such "free" wishes. Woe to he who asks for a third wish! There is only one reason that the Djinn do not control this world: they must grant the wishes of the person who summoned them. Thus, if a wish is worded carefully, it can be used to stop the plans of a Djinni.
Immortality: A Djinni will never die of old age or natural means. They can exist in their world or be trapped in ours for eternity with no ill effect. They do not require food, air, water, or any other substance for survival.
Taking the Flesh: A Djinni can peel the face from a corpse and acquire the appearance of that person, and his body will subsequently change shape to match the body of the person. This is all illusion, so no physical attributes change. Thus, a Djinni who Takes the Flesh from a small child would still have the physical strength of a Djinni. The degree of success is determined by the number of successes on a Dexterity + Body Crafts roll with a Difficulty of 7.
Tentacles: A Djinni has a number of long, thick black tentacles at the base of its neck that it can use to attack with. These cannot be used while using Taking the Flesh. The tentacles can inflict Strength +1 Damage with a Difficulty of 7.
Unnatural Resilience: A Djinn cannot be killed by normal means. In the film, a woman wishes that the Djinni blow his brains out, which he does with a large handgun, but the wound heals instantly. When a Djinni takes damage, unless it is aggravated, it heals completely by the next turn. They do however feel the pain and have wound levels like a normal mortal. Wound penalties do apply for the turn in which they are injured. Aggravated damage is healed at the same rate as mortals heal. To a Djinni, aggravated damage can come from the teeth and claws of the supernatural, disciplines, gifts, magick, and other such powers. Please note that fire has no effect on the Djinn. If a Djinni loses all Health Levels to aggravated damage, he is sent back to his dimension. No Djinni can truly die.
Kindred: Vampires are an excellent choice to use for someone to summon one of the Forsaken. A Tremere could discover the ritual in an ancient tome, or it could be a secret of the Tzimisce passed down through the ages. For whatever reason, the Djinni is more than a vampire would bargain for. It is unlikely that a ghoul would be able to summon a Djinni, but it could very easily release one that his master trapped! Also, a Djinni would very likely ask a ghoul if it would like to be freed of its servitude. If the answer is yes, that's some instant rank 5 magick coming right at the Domitor!
Changing Breeds: It is unlikely that any of the Changing Breeds would willingly traffic with the Forsaken. However, Kinfolk may try to find a Djinni to become a true bete. Of course, the price for this would be more than most would be willing to pay.
Mages: The Awakened are the most likely to deal with the Djinn. Mages are one of the few types of entities in the World of Darkness truly powerful enough to combat a Djinni. A mage can launch magick at any time, but the threat of Paradox is almost as limiting as the wishing power of the Djinn.
Wraiths: Most wraiths would not interact with the Djinn. In theory, an embodied or skin-riding wraith could ask for a wish. However, when the Djinni collects the souls, the wraith will cease to exist.
Changelings: The fey might very well be related to the evil Djinn. This might make them the most prepared to handle the Djinn. The creative minds of the Changelings are very similar to the creativity of the Djinn. Thus, a chess match style war could result from their encounter.
Mummies: The Djinn are fantastic for use with mummies. As both beings are immortal, a chronicle could tell the tale of a struggle between a mummy and a Djinni as it continues through the millennia. A perfect enemy for the Undying.
Gypsies: It is likely that the mysterious Gypsies remember the stories of the Djinn and know not to ask their favor. However, the Djinn are a sneaky lot and people make wishes every day. Thus, a slip of the tongue can easily result in a very dead Gypsy.
Fomori: Most fomori are slave-like creatures to the Wyrm or Pentex. The desire to wish themselves out of that situation could be overwhelming. Of course, the consequence of losing your soul is a pretty steep price, even for one whose soul is tainted.
Immortals: Not as perfect as the mummies, the immortals still make prime candidates as enemies of the Djinn. See the entry for mummies above.
A Djinni will do everything it can to get its summoner to ask for three wishes. It will try to use any trick it can think of, including Taking the Flesh of a loved one and asking the person what they want. If they allow the Djinni to "help" three times, the walls come down and the Djinn are in this world.
Anyone can release a Djinni from what it has been trapped within. It is as simple as rubbing the item. The Djinni awakens and starts clawing its way out. Once it gets free, usually within a few hours, the releaser instantly knows that the Djinni is here. The Djinni will try to find this person as soon as it can. Along the way, it will sow the seeds of chaos as people ask for wishes in everyday conversation.
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Intimidation 2, Subterfuge 5 (Tricks), Empathy 2, Acting 3
Skills: Etiquette 4, Torture 4, Body Crafts 4 Stealth 2
Knowledges: Djinn Lore 5, Occult 5, Enigmas 4, Cosmology 2, Investigation 2
Willpower: 8